Aland is an archipelago located in the Baltic Sea, at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia, between Finland's and Sweden's coasts.

Until the early 19th century, Aland was part of the Kingdom of Sweden. They were ceded to Russia, alongside Finland, in 1809.

The archipelago remained under Russian control until the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. Then, a large majority of representatives of municipalities and adult Aland's population signed a petition that called for reintegration to Sweden. The newborn Republic of Finland did not agree to, and the dispute was finally solved by the League of Nations, which in 1921 ruled that Aland should remain as Finnish territory but enjoying broad autonomy, with Swedish as its only official language, and demilitarized status.

Ever since, the archipelago has largely ruled itself separately from both Finland and Sweden in most areas. Its level of self-government has been expanded several times.